Ralf Rangnick announced the squad for the two World Cup qualifiers against Cyprus and Bosnia-Herzegovina on Tuesday. Rapid striker Nikolaus Wurmbrand is in the senior national team squad for the first time. David Alaba and Alessandro Schöpf are also included.
Austria’s team manager Ralf Rangnick has nominated Nikolaus Wurmbrand and Alessandro Schöpf, two players from the domestic Bundesliga, for the World Cup qualifiers against Cyprus on September 6 in Linz and against Bosnia-Herzegovina on September 9 in Zenica. David Alaba, Raul Florucz, Florian Grillitsch, and Andreas Weimann are also in the 26-man squad. Rangnick will have to do without the injured Maximilian Wöber and Gernot Trauner.
Wurmbrand, the only potential debutant in the current squad, has come to the fore at Rapid this season. Most recently, the 19-year-old attacking player scored both goals in Hütteldorf’s 2-1 away win against WAC. For Wolfsberg pro Schöpf, this is his first ÖFB call-up under Rangnick. The 31-year-old former Schalke and Nuremberg pro played his 32nd and last international match to date in a 2-2 home draw against Scotland in March 2022.
Alaba is traveling to the ÖFB squad for the first time since last March after recovering from a knee injury, while Weimann is included for the first time this year. Florucz, who missed the June games due to injury, has established himself at St. Gilloise in recent weeks. Grillitsch, on the other hand, is struggling at club level, but was still considered by Rangnick.
